Last Updated June 1st., Y2K

SYD EDWARDS ON THE ROAD IN Y2K!

ENTRY 63:(04/27/00) Had another excellent and productive rehearsal on the 23rd. worked up three new tunes and next we'll start finalizing a songlist (I hope!) I'm getting the itch to get Usual Suspects out on the road. Have been listening to a steady diet of blues recently, everything from Stevie Ray to Leadbelly and B.B. King. Hate to make this one so short, but my schedule's been tight recently....More later.

ENTRY 64: (05-01-00)Things really seem to be coming together with the band, we've almost got enough songs to have a complete songlist and we add a few here and there as we go. Buck forgot his lemon juice but soldiered onward like the trooper he is without it. A special get well soon goes out to Kathy, Ron's number one fan!

We're taking next week off so Buck can go replenish his lemon supply, so until then, remember:
"If you can't be kind at least have the decency to be vague."

Also, please go to www.paylars.com tell the Metallibrats what you think about them turning their backs on their fans, or, if you are so inclined, send Lars his 40 pieces of silver....

"It is therefore sickening to know that our art is being traded like a commodity rather than the art that it is."
- Lars Ulrich

Seems to me that it was OK when you were eating PB&J sandwiches and still looking for a recording contract, back in the days when you asked fans to make dubs of your demo and ciruculate them...Oh how the times have changed...Folks, the minute an "artist" releases anything it becomes a commodity, the artist themselves become a commodity as well...

Personally, I think this letter says the truth more than anything else I have read on this matter...

ENTRY 65: (05/12/00) Usual Suspects now have two confirmed bookings, the first is a Private Party on May 20th. near Ripley, WV, the next is as one of the opening acts at the Log Jam Motor Sports and Music Festival, three miles from Ravenswood, WV on June 16th. Keep checking back for more information!

THE OFFICIAL USUAL SUSPECTS HOME PAGE is up and running, check it out!

ENTRY 66: (05/17/00) After taking Sunday off to be with our families we rehearsed on the 15th. and things went really well. Everyone seems to be looking forward to the upcoming gigs and there's an air of enthusiasm in the air around the rehearsal hall (though Monday it had to fight it out with the smell of cigars!)

We're getting together for one more cram session Friday then comes the debut gig on the 20th.We also have one more confirmed booking, check out the SCHEDULE PAGE or the Usual Suspects Home Page for more info.!

ENTRY 67: (05/18/00) I received a call today from Huntington Metal Mongers Dark Fantasy and it looks like I will be appearing on their upcoming debut release, to be recorded sometime this summer. More as soon as I learn more about all this...but I'm looking forward to working with J.C. again. I heard a snippet of their demos tonight and was blown away!

Jim Mitchell and J.C. Leach of Dark Fantasy
after their fingers were amputated in a bizarre shredding accident.

ENTRY 68: (05/20/00) Just got in from our last cram jam before the debut show, things went well, we set up the setlist and worked out a few bugs before wrapping it up for the evening.

Larry gave me a wireless unit for my bass rig tonight, man, after all these years of having one third down the list of things I want...I finally have one! What a killer birthday gift! THANKS LARRY!!

ENTRY 69: (05-21-00) (Wrings water out of shirt...) Well, my debut gig with Usual Suspects can be summed up in two words, wet and muddy, and one phrase "Where the hell are we?!"

After driving through the backwoods near where Jed discovered the bubbling crude, passing the last true vestiges of civilization and turning at the corner of 80th. and Plum (old joke, I know, but appropriate, believe me!) we arrived to a rainy outing underneath a leaking patio deck. The five-string got soaked but soldiered on through the first two sets before the battery in the pre-amp gave out (the one battery I failed to change!), my Zoom Processor gobbled a Duracell like a rabid carpet muncher on speed and on the way home I damn near killed me a year's worth of fine venison, but right in the heart of town! Didn't see one deer the whole trip through the bushes, brambles and briars and then there sits Bambi's Dad in front of the Courthouse looking at me like my two-ton car isn't going to turn him into some nice steaks and burger....I missed him, but only just.

My new wireless worked great, have to watch really bearing down on the strings, as it does clip when too much signal is put through it, but all in all I was impressed. Even took a few jaunts out into the rain with it and it never missed a note! Now I have to work on getting a wireless headset mic and I'll be totally free on stage!

My Crate amp did wonderfully as well, without any reinforcement from the PA it held it's own all night, even while being deluged by rainwater. I'd like to see alot of other amps handle that kind of abuse!!! Speaking of Crate, I see that they now have a version of my amp with built in digital effects called the BFX-100, hope this means a modeling bass amp is in the works!

All in all not a bad debut gig, considering the venue and the weather. I am assuming that the band goes back on it's normal rehearsal schedule next week. We've still got work to do before the Jog Jam Festival on the 16th...

Got a nice "break a leg" e-mail from my should-be uncle and aunt, Bob and Shirley Bradshaw in Arkansas.

Taking it easy tonight, it's my birthday. Nancy is taking me to go see a "U-571" and I'll probably spend some time trying to dry out my equipment. Have to start a new pre-show list with "change battery in five-string at the top, LOL!

My thanks to The World's Greatest Roadie, Jon O'Dell for all his help tonight and for taking the pic of me out in the rain that you see above. Sometimes I wonder why he puts up with all of the crap!

ENTRY 70: (05/23/00) Spoke with JC again tonight and it looks like my session with Dark Fantasy may be moved ahead to sometime in the near future. Seems something big might be on the horizon for them - more when things get ironed out 100%.

Also had a long talk with Larry and it seems Usual Suspects will be skipping rehearsals on Sunday. Everybody seems to have scheduling conflicts for that day.

All of my gear appears to have made it through our debut gig without any ill effects; I'm especially amazed about the five-string, which got soaked.

Tonight's Quote: "Anywhere you hang yourself is home." --Henry Rollins

ENTRY 71: (05-26-00) Spoke with Jim Mitchell tonight, was good connecting back up with him. He**, I haven't seen him since, man......I guess it was on Testament's bus when Larry and I saw them a few years back. I'm looking forward to working with him later this summer, after JC gets all settled in his new apartment I might even try to coax Bettie down Huntington way and hang with them for a little bit, get a feel for the band's sound and what not. Better save some gas money for that, Bettie's a thristy old gal!

I'm bored sh**less. E-Bay is down at this time every Thursday night/Friday morning so I can't look for parts for Bettie or any other cast-off item somebody has on there that I just gotta' have... Note to self: Write a nasty e-mail to E-Bay about this.

Been listening to Rammstein again, man talk about a band that disappeared off the face of the earth! Oh well, I kinda dig that militaristic vibe their music has that is only enhanced by the gutteral Teutonic vocals. Yeah, JC will ride my a** about that, he kept saying they were a novelty act that would disappear as quick as they appeared on the scene. Blah, who cares, least it was something different for a short while. A nice reprieve from Korn, ad nauseum.

Found a pic of Jon last night, it's from when he was my bass tech and the band's soundman way back in the mid 80's. I oughta' scan it and post it on here. Another mental note! If I had the nuts I'd scan a few of the embarrassing pics of myself I dug up as well, but I think I'll leave that dusty old part of Syd' history where it belongs, in the shoebox! LOL!

Spent some time wandering around the Love/Hate website tonight, brought back some good memories and some of Jizzy's rants were hilarious. Blacke Thorne used to do "Blackout In The Redroom" way back when, the crowd always seemed to love it though my bet is no one had ever heard the original. Man, that seems like a lifetime ago anymore, wish I'd have been sober through more of it so the memories weren't so vague. Now that I think of it, that might be a good tune for Usual Suspects to do. Hmmmmmm....I'm gonna' go rummage through my tape collection and see if I can find it. More later folks, right now I'm off like a used condom!

Oh and remember to take a few minutes and think about those who gave all for their country and freedom on Memorial Day!

ENTRY 72: (06-01-00) Well, where to begin... First of all I got a call from Buck telling me he heard a band called Usual Suspects on the radio. This of course sent me into a frenzy trying to find out who they were and thus far all I have found are two cover bands like us. Still, a new name may be in the works...I'll keep you posted.

Larry popped by Memorial Day for a few minutes. He and the fam were out cruising around. We talked about what we need to work on before the Log Jam Festival and what songs we need to have on the list.

Jim Mitchell called and we did some more catching up and chatted about Dark Fantasy, our musical tastes and the sad state of music today.

JC has been offline for a few days waiting on his new comp to be finished. Sometime later this month I'm going to head down to Huntington and jam with him to get a feel for what they are doing.

Updates Numbers 55 through 62